Consumer Briefing Highlights Improvements to Air Passenger Rights in Europe

On Friday 26 June 2026, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Luxembourg, the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg and the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Luxembourg hosted an open, lunchtime briefing focused on consumer rights for air passengers, at the Europa Experience in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

The briefing, moderated by Anne Calteux, Representative of the European Commission in Luxembourg, featured contributions from Member of the European Parliament Martine Kemp and members of the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg and the National Authority for the Enforcement of Air Passenger Rights, and focused on the subject of the modernisation and strengthening of air passenger protections and issues relating to travel delays, cancellations, pricing policies, as well as the difficulties faced by passengers in asserting their rights.

The event was opened by Christoph Schroeder, Head of the European Parliament's office in Luxembourg, who welcomed the attendees and speakers and remarked: “We are here today at the Europa Experience to talk about your rights during your travels, and to ensure that you know your rights really well.”

He added: “I am very happy that the Parliament has really fought for us as consumers, for us as citizens.”

Martine Kemp then gave a presentation on the recent the revision of air passenger rights, reached in a landmark agreement between the EU Council and Parliament on Monday 15 June 2026.

She said that the agreement strengthens and clarifies passenger rights and highlighted the thirteen years of negotiations since the original 2004 regulation was implemented.

Martine Kemp then provided details of the changes to the regulation, which include:

⁃ In the case of a delay that could be ground for compensation, passengers will have to be informed electronically by the airline within 96 hours after arrival. The airline will need to provide information to passengers on their rights and clear instructions on how to submit a request for compensation. Airlines will also be required to immediately acknowledge receipt of a claim and then reply, within 30 days, by either paying compensation or providing a clear justification for refusing the claim;

⁃ Passengers may claim compensation where: a flight arrives more than three hours late or a flight is cancelled less than fourteen days before departure;

⁃ The clarification of passengers’ entitlement to assistance during disruptions, including: refreshments every two hours of waiting time; a meal after three hours, and every five hours thereafter (up to three meals per day); internet access and two phone calls;

⁃ Improvements to create price transparency, with air fares now including allowance for a piece of hand baggage;

⁃ Specific and reinforced rights for persons with specific needs such as persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, children, unaccompanied minors and pregnant passengers.

Anne Calteaux remarked: “We are confronted with a lot of information on the internet and we do not always find ourselves very easily in this amalgam of information. Even if we think we know what our rights are, it is not obvious…Thanks to the engagement of the Parliament which…represents the citizens, it is the voice of the citizens. Thanks to the engagement of the Parliament, we now have a text which is fairly balanced and which represents very well the interests of consumers.”

Julie Jasson, lawyer at the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg, then spoke of the work of the European Consumer Centre, which offers free assistance to consumers in each European country. 

She said: “In Luxembourg, we are financed by the European Commission and by the state of Luxembourg. We are a team of multi-disciplinarians. We take care of the questions from consumers, who can contact us either by phone or by e-mail via our website, or can come and ask their questions in person, even problems they have with companies based in another country.”

There then followed a Q&A session, during which Julie Jasson, Kelly Mulombe, lawyer at the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg, and Patrick Wildgen and Marie-Cécile Bertholet from the National Authority for the Enforcement of Air Passenger Rights, answered audience questions on issues relating to lost baggage, the various obligations which fall on the travel provider (airline vs booking agent) and unannounced price increases.

Closing remarks were given by Thomas Segrétain, Director of the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg, who thanked those involved in the arranging and contributing to the briefing.

Following the closing remarks, attendees were invited to enjoy food and refreshments supplied by the organisers.

Full details of the changes to air passenger rights can be found at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/06/15/council-and-parliament-reach-landmark-agreement-on-stronger-eu-air-passenger-rights/

Credit: Steven Miller, Chronicle.lu